Directional trolley-contactor.



S. S. STOLP.

DIRECTIONAL TROLLEY CONTACTOR.

APPLICATION man MAR. 11. 1915.

1 ,229, 345. Patented June 12, 1917.

2 SHEETS SHEET I.

mwdfea/ 1 r v v l S. S. STOLP.

DIRECTIONAL TROLLEY CONTACTOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.11,I915.

1,229,345. I Patented June 12, 1917.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

SAMUEL S. STOLP, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE RAILROAD SUPPLY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DIRECTIONAL TROLLEY CONTACTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 12, 191 7.

Application filed March 11, 1915. Serial No. 13,796.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. SToLP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Directional. Trolley- Contactors, of which the following is a specification. 1

The invention has for its primary object the provision in a signal system of contactor mechanism acting in combination with a signal and by means of a single signal wire to give a signal when actuated by cars traveling in one direction on a single track, and not to give the signal when actuated by cars going in the opposite direction.

According to my preferred construction I attain this object by interposing in the circuit, when completed in one direction of travel, the resistance of a slow acting coil which will render the current ineffective to operate the signal while in the other direction of travel the current is shunted around the coil to the signal; the slow acting character of the coil being utilized to hold its armature momentarily in position to engage the swinging contact arm and by its snubbing action to prevent a duplication of the contact.

Other features of the invention as to construction and ease of installation, mainte nance, low cost, efficiency under varying conditions of operation and non-liability to get out of order will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed de scription based upon the accompanying drawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment of the invention is set forth.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the upper portion of Fig. 2 with certain parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal vertical section;

Fig. 3 is a central transverse vertical section; and

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the cir cuits.

The trolley wire is indicated at 11, and upon the same is mounted by means of the supports 12 a bracket base 13 provided with apertures 14 for guy wires. Carried by the base 13 and in electrical connection therethrough with the wire 11 is a box 15 of nonengaging bolt 18 cooperating with a wing nut I 19, and the box 15 is inclosed within a housing 15". Suitably journaled in the walls of the box at 20 and 211's a horizontal portion of an arm 22 having a vertically depending portion 23 and an oblique extremity 24 extending into the path of the trolley wheel, the base 13 being provided with a slot 25 to accommodate the swinging action of the contact arm 22. A suitable buffer stop 26 of rubber or the like is mounted upon the side of the box 15 above the journal bearing 21 which is adapted to be engaged by the contact arm to prevent overthrow.

The horizontal portion of the contact arm 21 has fixed thereon on the two sides of its median portion oppositely disposed contactmaking cams 27 and 28, the two cams comprising in effect a barrel having its two ends cut away on opposite sides and performing a function to be hereafter made clear. Between the two contact-making cams is arranged a snubbing member in the form of a cam or a cylinder 29 having at one side a tooth or projection 30, the function of which will likewise hereinafter be made clear.

Attached to the side wall of the box and consequently electrically connected with the wire 11 are a'pair of spring contact members 31 and 32, while mounted upon the floor of the box and suitably insulated therefrom are cooperating contact members 33 and 34. The contact member 33 is provided with a wire 35 leading directly to a connection at 36 with the insulated binding post 37 of the single wire 38 leading to a signal, indicated at 38 in Fig. 4, while the contact member 34 is connected with the same binding post 37 by means of the wires 39 and 40 leading by way of the slow acting resistance coil 41 suitably mounted within the box by means of the bracket 42. The armature 43 of the slow acting coil is hinged at 44 so that when the magnet is energized the free end of the same will project into the path of the tooth or projection 30 of the snubbing cam.

The operation of the device can perhaps be best explained with reference to the diagrammatic representation in Fig. 4, to the various parts of which reference numerals have been applied corresponding to those in the other figures. If the contact arm be actuated by a car moving to the-left in said figure the contact making cam '27 will close the contact between the members 31 and 33 thereby permitting the current to flow from V the trolley Wire 11 directly to the signal wire 38 and operating the signal during substantially the entire time that the contact is maintained closed by the cam 27 during the upward swinging movement of the arm 22 current to such an extent that it will be in- I eli ective to operate the signal. As the arm 22'reaches its vertical position after swinging upward to the abutment 26 the contact between 32 and 34: will be broken and the coil 41 deenergized. By virtue of its slow acting characteristics, however, the armature 43 will be momentarily retained in its elevated position and will engage the projection '30 of the snubbing cam 29 and thus bring the arm to a stop without permitting the same by its momentum to swing tothe left and thus make contact through the members 31 and 33.

It will thus be seen that on a single track and employing but a single signal wire the signal is caused to be operated by cars running in one direction only, the actuation of the contactor device by cars running in the opposite direction being rendered of no effect upon the signal by the inclusion of resistance in the circuit thus completed. The

contact making portions of the device being submerged in a body of oil all the parts are lubricated, the contact points are protected from weather conditions and there-can be no oxidation and no appreciable arc. By the employment of a slow-acting coil as resistance the swinging contact arm is snubbed so as to prevent double contact which is of importance notonly in preventing the giving of asignal by a car running in the wrong direction, but it also enables the device to be employed in counting cars, there being a signal given and one only for each car passing the device. The formation of the contact making cams from the major portion of a cylindrical barrel provides for a distribution of the contact throughout substantially the whole of the upward and downward swinging movement whereby the operation of the device is made reliable in the giving of an efficient signal even where the cars are operated at a very high speed.

The employment of a contact arm of square cross section enables a permanently rigid connection to be made between its horizontal portion and the barrel members swaged thereon, the same being unaffected by the rough treatment in service due to the hard and sudden blows administered to the depending arm.

I claim:

1. In a directional signal system, an electric circuit including therein a signal, contactor mechanism arranged to be actuated to close the circuit by cars passing in either direction, a single signal wire connecting the contactor and signal and means to render the contactor mechanism effective to operate the signal when actuated by cars passing in one direction only, whereby the signal will indicate the direction of car travel.

2. In a directional signal system, an electric circuit including therein a signal, contactor mechanism arranged to be actuated to close the circuit by a car passing the same in either direction, a single signal wire connecting the contactor and signal, and electrical. mechanism to render the contactor mechanism effective to operate the signal when actuated by cars passing in one direction only, whereby the signal will be operated by cars traveling in one direction only.

3. In a directional signal system, an electric circuit including therein a signal, contactor mechanism arranged to be actuated by cars passing in either direction and including contacts through which the circuit is alternatively completed according to the direction of car travel, and resistance included in the circuit between one of the contacts and the signal so as to render the current ineflective to operate the signal through said circuit, whereby the signal would be operated by a car passing in one direction and not by a car passing in the opposite direction.

l. In a directional signal system, an electric circuit including therein a signal, contactor mechanism arranged to be actuated i by cars passing'in either direction and including a pair of contacts through which the circuit is alternatively completed according to the direction of car travel, a re sistance coil included in the circuit from one'of the contacts to the signal and a shunt circuit between the other contact and the signal whereby the current will be rendered of diiierent efiiciency through the two cir cuits and the signal will be operated bya car passing in one direction and not by a car passing in the opposite direction.

5. In a directional signal system, an electric circuit including therein a signal,'con- .tactor mechanism arranged to be actuated by cars passing in either direction and eluding a pair ofcontacts through which the circuit 1S alternatively completed ac cording to the direction of car. travel, a single signal wire leading from the contactor mechanism to the signal, resistance in cluded in the circuit from one of the contacts to the signal wire, and a direct connection between the other contact and the signal wire whereby the current will be rendered of different efliciency through the two circuits and the signal will be operated by a car passing in one direction and not by a car passing in the opposite direction.

6. In a directional signal system, an electric circuit including therein a signal, contactor mechanism arranged to be actuated by cars passing in either direction and including a pair of contacts through which the circuit is alternatively completed according to the direction of car travel, a single signal wire leading from the contactor mechanism to the signal, a resistance coil included in the circuit between one of the contacts and the signal wire, and a shunt circuit between the other contact and the signal wire whereby the current will be rendered of different efficiency through the two circuits and the signal will be operated by a car passing in one direction and not by a car passing in the opposite direction.

7. In a directional signal system, an electric circuit including therein a signal, contactor mechanism arranged to be actuated by cars passing in either direction and including a pair of contacts, a barrel provided with means to close one of the contacts when rotated in one direction and the other contact when rotated in the other direction, an arm depending from the barrel in the path oi a passing car, an electric connection between the contactor mechanism and the signal, and resistance interposed in the circuit of one of the contacts whereby the current will be rendered of diiferent efficiency through the two circuits and the signal will be operated by a car passing in one direction and not by a car passing in the opposite direction.

8. In a directional signal system, an electric circuit including therein a signal, contactor mechanism arranged to be actuated by cars passing in either direction and in cluding a pair of contacts, a barrel provided with means to close one of the contacts when rotated in one direction and the other contact when rotated in the other direction, an arm depending from the barrel in the path of a passing car, an electric connection between the contactor mechanism and the signal, a slow acting magnet coil interposed in the circuit of one of the contacts, and a projection carried by the barrel and adapted to be engaged by the armature of the coil to snub the swinging barrel to prevent double contact, whereby the signal will be operated by a car passing in one direction and not by a car passing in the opposite direction.

9. In a directional signal system, an, electric circuit including therein a signal, contactor mechanism arranged to be actuated by carsipassing in either direction and including a pair of contacts, a barrel having cams thereon arranged to close one of the contacts when rotated in one direction and the other contactwhen rotated in the opposite direction, an arm depending from the barrel in the path of a passing car and acting by gravity to yieldingly maintain thebarrel in a normal neutral position, a single signal wire connecting the contactor mechanism and the signal, a slow acting magnet coil interposed in the circuit between one of the contacts and the signal wire, and a direct connection between the other contact and the signal wire, the armature of the coil arranged when energized to engage and snub the swinging barrel to prevent double contact, whereby the signal will be operated by a car passing in one direction and not by a car passing in the opposite direction.

10. In a directional signal system, an electric circuit including therein a signal, a single signal wire, contactor mechanism arranged to be actuated by cars passing in either direction and comprising a box mounted above the trolley wire in electric contact therewith, a pair of contacts, one member of each contact connected to the box and the other insulated therefrom, a resistance coil within the boX, a connection between one of the insulated contact members and the signal wire by way of the coil, a direct connection between the other insulated contact member and the signal wire, a barrel having a pair of cams arranged to close the contacts alternatively as the barrel is rotated in one direction or the other, an arm depending from the barrel in the path of the trolley and acting by gravity to yieldingly maintain the barrel normally with its cams in a neutral position, whereby the current will be rendered of different efficiency through the two circuits and the signal will be operated by a carpassing in one direction and not by a car passing in the opposite direction.

11. In a directional signal system, an electric circuit including therein a signal, a single signal wire, contactor mechanism arranged to be actuated by cars passing in either direction and comprising a boX of non-magnetic material mounted above the trolley wire in electric contact therewith and adapted to contain oil, a pair of contacts, one member of each contact connected to the box and the other insulated therefrom, a magnet coil within the box, a connection between one of the insulated contact members and the signal wire by way of the coil, a direct connection between the other insulated contact member and the signal wire, a barrel having a pair of cams arranged to close the contacts alternatively as the barrel is rotated in one direction or the other, an arm depending from the barrel in the path of the trolley and acting by gravity to yieldingly maintain the barrel normally with its cams in a neutral position, and a projection carried by the barrel and arranged to be engaged by the armature of the coil tosnub the swinging barrel and prevent double contact,'the contact making elements submerged in the oil, whereby the signal Will be operated by a car passing in one direction and not by a car passing in the opposite direction.

my name in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses. I V V V SAMUEL S. STOLP.

Vitnesses: s

R. L. PRENTIGE, J MCGERALD.'

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

Washington, D. G. r

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed 15 

